How To Snowboard: Gap to Boardslide with Dan Brisse

Gap to Boardslide With Dan Brisse

"A big part of urban riding is getting speed. You've got to have enough speed, especially for gap spots."

From the January 2012 Issue of TransWorld SNOWboarding

20 Tricks: Volume 5

Dan Brisse gap to boardslide. PHOTO: Chris Wellhausen

Trick Rating: 8

Approach: Take more speed than less. If you come up short, you're going to get destroyed by the rail. Gap to the stairs or the landing first to get the speed dialed. Ask a buddy if they think you're going fast enough.

Takeoff: Once you're on the lip, you'll be able to see the rail and can gauge how much pop you'll need to make it. Take off on your heel edge, and open your shoulders slightly.

Maneuver: As you're gapping, keep your eyes on the rail. As you hit it, bend your knees and lean with it. Think of it as ice: if you hit the brakes, you slide out--so stay flat based. Try to land at least a foot down the rail.

Landing: Don't be scared of a rail with a donkey dink at the end, your momentum will carry you through it. In the street, the landing will be a little harder than a park, so be prepared and bend your knees.

Trick To The Trick

"You can't always see the rail when dropping in on a gap-to, so take your board and make a line that marks the exact angle you want to take off at."--Dan Brisse